These are paper mache ruby slippers made to look like the legs and feet of the Wicked Witch of the East after Dorothy's house landed.

A few months ago I cam across paper mache shoes at Micheal's on super clearance. I had no idea why but at a quarter each I bought 4.

They sat there in my craft supplies forever until I finally got an idea. My Mom has always had a thing for the Wizard of Oz and has always admired a friend's doormat with the witch's feet printed on them- so I decided to make her a 3D version.

I did several coats of white as a basecoat , then penciled in where the shoes should be. I did two coats of red on the shoes and black on the bottoms. Once that dried I used glitter glue to add sparkle. ( The glitter glue was kind of a pain to try to spread evenly and took 3 coats but it left a smooth finish to the shoes and added an extra layer of sealer so they could be used outside on Halloween).

Using brown craft paper in layers for strength I added tubes to the tops of the shoes with masking tape to form legs. This was just trial and error until they seemed sturdy and somewhat smooth on the surface.Then I basecoated them with white ( to prop them up while they were drying I used empty wine bottles it worked great!)and sketched out the stripes at about 1 1/4 inches apart.

Using leftover craft paper from the legs I cut 3 inch strips about 6 inches long. I then folded the cut ends to the middle to get 1 1/2 inch by 3 inch strip that I glued together painted red and glittered. I then cut a thinner strip for the center of the bows and painted and glued them as well. I left about an inch of overhang to use as a handle when painting and sealing the bows then cut them off when I finished.

Then I put 4 coats of clear sealer on to help make them a bit more moisture resistant. To get them to lay properly with the heels down I used a bit of rice in a ziploc bag to weight the heel and keep it stable.

My mom loved them so much I doubt they will only be used as Halloween decorations.

Those are so cute! I wonder if you could make a variation on them to use as a draft blocker or doorstop (or maybe both)? I'm thinking thrift-store shoes, a little paint, and some stripey socks stuffed with rice or something....

Those are so cute! I wonder if you could make a variation on them to use as a draft blocker or doorstop (or maybe both)? I'm thinking thrift-store shoes, a little paint, and some stripey socks stuffed with rice or something....

I bet you could do that. We have some pretty horrendous (but effective) draft blockers. Maybe they need a makeover!

Those are so cute! I wonder if you could make a variation on them to use as a draft blocker or doorstop (or maybe both)? I'm thinking thrift-store shoes, a little paint, and some stripey socks stuffed with rice or something....

I bet you could do that. We have some pretty horrendous (but effective) draft blockers. Maybe they need a makeover!

Actually I wanted them to be used as a door stop originally but the legs are too fragile and I couldn't figure out how to make them sturdy enough. (Keep in mind though when I really got all fired up about these and started making them I couldn't be bothered to stop and go to the craft store for alternative solutions so I was limited to what I had on hand.)